In their first win over the Islanders since 1988 Wales ensured the mighty forward power of the Samoan XV was outclassed by some dazzling rugby of pace from their backs and an awesome defensive display from their forwards. The pain of 1999 still loomed large in the mind of Wales Head Coach Graham Henry and some of the survivors from that Rugby World Cup encounter but an assured display made sure that the AMD Autumn Series began with a bang.
Sporting their new home jersey for the first time Wales were put through a frustrating first half before a relaxation of nerves in the second half saw them finally let rip on the Islanders defence. The opening twenty minutes saw some trademark breaks from Samoa, tough tackles and a few nervy exchanges that gave the impression of a long afternoon ahead of the Welsh pack, but Wales held their nerves and a break from Colin Charvis into the Samoan 22 at the end of the opening quarter appeared to spark the home side into life.
Arwel Thomas, looking to make the No.10 shirt his own in the absence of Neil Jenkins had put Wales into a 9-3 lead with three well-taken penalties; Happy Valley Patu providing the points for Samoa. Charvis’s break should have resulted in an immediate score for Wales had Shane Williams not mis-handled as he stretched for the line. Ten minutes later, once Wales had recycled play four times camped in the Samoan 22, the try they had so craved came as new captain Mark Taylor crashed over from five yards out having burst through a stretched defence.
Samoa got the second half underway amidst some poor line-out throwing from Wales and Quentin Sanft’s penalty narrowed the defecit slightly, but from thereon in Wales’s style relaxed and, as they threw the ball around, the tries began to flow.
Cardiff fullback Rhys Williams broke several times in his first international at the Millennium Stadium to produce two tries for Shane Williams. The man from Neath opened Wales’s second half scoring with his first try and weaved a moment of brilliance later on for his second by beating three men having received a flat pass from Scott Quinnell before beating a fourth behind the line to touch down between the posts. Ian Gough was also on hand in between to ensure the forwards celebrated their performance of Samoan-like power with a try against a stretched-yet-again defence.
Wales weren’t done scoring, a penalty try was awarded after Allan Bateman had been prevented from touching down a Mark Taylor grubber kick by Samoan Toala twelve minutes from time and Dafydd James could have stretched things even further had his try not been disallowed for a forward pass. Bateman’s appetite for a try was rewarded moments from the end when he looped with replacement Nathan Budgett in midfield to score in the corner.
Wales’s elation at slaying the albatross of defeat to Samoa was blackened by the sin-binning of James Griffiths for an off-the-ball shoulder-charge having only been on the field seconds.
